David Bott

Keynote

David Bott, BA, PGradDip Ed., PGradDip Psych., is Head of Positive Education at Geelong Grammar School, where he has worked since 2013. David is responsible for overseeing the Positive Education curriculum from ELC – 12, including explicit wellbeing lessons, dedicated focus days, pastoral care tutorials and weaving key wellbeing concepts into existing academic curriculum.

David also teaches VCE & IB Psychology and was the Head of Psychology for five years at Aldenham School in the UK. In 2011 David co-authored his first book, “Teach Positive: applying the science of positive psychology to the classroom”. David has delivered many professional development seminars and consulted with numerous schools in Australia and around the world. The particular focus of his work has been in highlighting the impact of positive teacher-student relationships on learning and identifying factors that facilitate outstanding teaching and learning in the modern classroom. In 2014, David completed the Professional Certificate in Positive Education at the University of Melbourne and has subsequently lectured in this programme.

Keynote: The Science of Achievement

When you think back to all the students you have taught – there are some who just stand out as being exceptional, brilliant. There are also a whole group of others who enjoyed great success and superior achievement in your classroom. What is it about these students that made them so successful? Do they actually have a ‘gift’ that others don’t have? For decades, the fields of education and psychology have sought to better understand the factors that impact on achievement. But in the last few years, a powerful and surprising story has begun to emerge from the scientific research. The highest achieving students in each of our schools are ‘gifted’ – but not in the way we might have first thought. In his keynote, David Bott will share the latest scientific thinking and evidence, gathered locally and globally, as to what causes student achievement and how we, as front-line educators, can shape our teaching and our schools to offer every student the opportunity to flourish. Specific examples highlighting how teachers are applying these ideas will be demonstrated and discussed. Delegates will be encouraged to reflect upon how they may most effectively apply the concepts within their own unique school setting.